Card displaying apparatus



Dec. 4, 1951 J- E. WOOD I CARD DISPLAYING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1948 Inventor JOSEPH E. WOOD w QM Attorney,

Dec. 4, 1951 J. E. WOOD CARD DISPLAYING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 15, 1948 Inventor I -tto rney Patented Dec. 4, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARI) DISPLAYING APPARATUS Joseph E. Wood, Toronto, ntario, Canada Application November 15, 1948, Serial No. 60,1 10

This invention relates. to a card displ yi ganparatus, appertainin particularly to an advertisingmachine in which. a series of cards orthe like are. successively exhibited for a brief period. Objects of theinvention are to provide (1) a card changing apparatus in which a plurality of suspended cards are consecutively removed one at a time from the front of the pack and replaced at therear; (2) quiet, smooth-running mechanism for so handling the cards and an attractive housing for the card pack and (3) mechanism through which the card on; one end of the pack is clearly displayed. I

A further object of the invention is topro vide such an apparatus that is characterized by structural simplicity, durability and operative efilciency, and that being capable of manufacture, servicing and operation at reasonable cost is thereby rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully. described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

In the drawings: I

Figure l is a sectional rear elevation of this apparatus as taken on line Il of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a transverse, vertical section, as taken on line 2.-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

"Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the chain carried pick-up and associated mechanism at the front of the machine; and s Figure 4 is an enlarged elevational detail of the patter plate operating against the back of the card pack.

Housed in a suitable, box-like cabinet I, with a large rectangular window opening 2 occupying the most of the lower half of the front wall 3 thereof is the compact, quiet-runnin and eflicient card changing mechanism here shown as contained in a shell frame 4.

Mounted along opposite sides of the frame, at a level just above the top of the window opening 2 are horizontal side rails 5 from which a plurality of framed display cards 6 are suspended by hollow top rods 1. These cards 6, to the 4 Claims, (01. sees) number of twenty, thirty or forty, are hung one behind the other, being spaced by the diameter of their top suspending rods. I that fill the rails fi from front to back. The rails 5 each possess in addition to its rod-supporting surface, a ver-: tically spaced offset flange. 5 that overlies the ends of the rods and terminates short of the, rail proper at both front and rear ends a distance about equal to the diameter of one of the card frame-supporting rods 7. The size of the framed cards is preferabl justlarger than the window 7 opening 2 through which the front card of the.

pack. is exhibited to. view.

A pair of endless chains a run around opposite sides of the frame 4 being supported byidlers. 9 atfront and-back at the topand. at the bottom front and being driven by spaced chain sprockets It. at the bottom back, keyed on a transverse horizontal shaft ll carried by the frame 4 and driven through a meshing worm and gear assembly. 12 by the-motor l3.

vIn corresponding position on .both chains 8, a pick-up fitting I4. is inserted instead of a link and each is provided with an inwardly projecting, horizontal pin lfi'that is designed to engage and nest in the end of the card -carrying hollow rod 7, the lower half of which is cut away at the end as seen in Figure 3. Here too, it will be observed. that. the side rails 5 and notched as at 5 to pass the pick-up. pins l5 where the chains, 8 run up the front of the machine at opposite sides.

Rotating clockwise, as seen in Figure 2, these chainspickup the front card 6, liftit clear of the. cabinet window 2, exposing the next succeeding card to view, then carry it rearwards over therailecarried card pack and drop it down at the. back of the horizontally assembled cards until the ends of the card rod 7 strike the rear ends of the rails 5 leaving it suspended there while the chains continue on their way.

To keep the card pack always moving forwards so-that a newly exposed card at the front advances to the foremost position on the side rails formerly occupied by the last lifted card and similarly in proper position to be engaged in its turn by the pick-up fittings in the continually travelling chains, a. patter plate I6 is located across the back behind the card pack. It is formed as a broad and slightly flared V, turned on edge and centrally pivoted by its inturned end flanges It to the sides of the frame 4. Coil springs ll stretched from each end to the side rails 5 draw in the upper end until stopped by engagement with the rail end. As

the last seen card 6 is dropped down the back of the machine to take its rearmost position in the pack, it passes in front of the wide flared mouth of the patter plate V but just as its rod is about to be deposited on the rails 5, a wedge shaped spreader extension I4 on the pick up fittings engages the flared end of the upper arm of the patter plate V hinging it outwardly against the action of the spring I! and causing the lower'arm of the patter plate to hinge inwardly against the pack of suspended cards, pushing them all forwards. Similarly, when the wedge-like fitting has passed, the upper arm of the patter plate V is drawn .in by the action of the spring to nose all the card-carrying rods forwards. i

Continuously the carrier chain mechanism operates, successively picking up the front exposed cards at equal intervals and quietly and smoothly reinserting them in undisturbed rotation at the back of the pack From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a card displaying apparatus is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a card changing apparatus enclosed within a windowed, box-like cabinet, a pair of spaced horizontal side rails projecting inwardly from opposite sides, a plurality of independent cards eachwith a horizontal rod across the top suspended from said rails in a horizontal pack one behind the other with the front-most in registry with and viewable through the cabinet window, said cards being slidable on said side rails with the cross rods thereof substantially filling said rails from end to end, card moving mechanism engageable with the front-most card in the pack and operable over the pack to reinsert the engaged card at the rear comprising a spaced pair of endless chains with correspondingly placed card pick-up fittings included therein, said fitting each having an inwardly projecting horizontal pin, spaced idlers supporting and driving means for said chains, and a card moving mechanism-operated card pack patter acting on the rear of said card pack; said side rails each comprising a vertically spaced pair of inwardly projecting flanges with the upper flange being narrower and ending short of the lower flange at both ends by a distance substantially equal to the diameter of one of said card rods and the lower flanges on which the card rods are supported having notches on the outer sides at their ends to pass the inwardly projecting horizontal pins of said pick-up fittings.

2. In a card changing apparatus enclosed within a windowed, box-like cabinet, a pair of spaced horizontal side rails, a plurality of independent cards suspended therefrom in a horizontal pack one behind the other with the front-most in registry with and viewable through the cabinet window, said-cards being slidable on said side rails and substantially filling the same from end to end, card-moving mechanism engageable with the front-most card in the pack and operable over the packito reinsert the engaged card at the rear comprising a spaced pair of endless chains with correspondingly placed card pick-up fittings included therein, spaced idlers supporting and driving means for said chains, a card moving mechanism-operated card pack patter acting on the rear thereof, said patter comprising a pair of patter platespivotally mounted in said cabinet each with a flared mouth on its upper side and normally held in engagement with the rear of one of said side rails by a retractile spring, and a wedge-shaped patter plate spreader carried by each of said chains.

3. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said card pack patter comprises a pair of pivotally mounted, flaredmouth patter places normally spring held against the rear end of the respective side rails, and wedge-shaped spreader extensions on said pickup fittings engageable with the flared mouths of said plates.

4. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said card pack patter comprises a pair of centrally pivoted patter plates each formed as broad slightly flared Vs turned on edge, a coil spring stretched from each side rail to a respective patter plate normally holding the top of the plate against the rear end of the lower flange of the rail, and wedge shaped spreader-extensions on said pick-up fitting engageable with said pivoted patter plates forcing the upper end thereof outwards against the action of said coil springs and simultaneously kicking the bottoms thereof in against the card pack.

JOSEPH E. WOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,899,780 Turner Feb. 28, 1933 1,971,455 Malmberg Aug. 28, 1934 2,220,478 Curnutt Nov. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 131,232 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1929 139,966 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1930 

